Full-Face Helmet Vs. Modular Helmet: Which One To Choose?

Bikers face a mountain of decisions every time they ride their bikes. They have to choose proper biker gear that agrees with their sense of fashion and keep them safe at the same time.

Striking a balance between these two delicate halves can be sometimes difficult to achieve, and that is why most people don’t try to, they simply focus on their helmets instead.

A biker helmet is the greatest fashion statement any biker can make. Not only does it say a lot about their personality, but it also keeps safe them while they are riding. Most bikers either go for the modular or full-face helmet because they are safe and convenient.

So, you are probably wondering, which is better between full-face helmets and modular helmets?

Choosing a helmet style is not something you can just simply decide by flipping a coin or copying your other biker friends. You have to consider several factors before you commit to a single helmet type. The modular and full-face helmet have their advantages and disadvantages. And we will look at them carefully before giving you a recommendation.

Full face helmets

Full face helmets are rigid compact helmets that provide safety and comfort from all sides. They usually fit tightly on the head and are very inflexible. They come with chin bars, visors, and internal padding that provides collision protection. It is very lightweight and aerodynamic. They feel super light and are made from highly durable impact-resistant materials. Any rider will be lucky to have this incredible and sturdy helmet with them on a ride. A full-face helmet can come in different forms and is highly customizable. Full face helmets offer complete protection from the elements and they have vents that promote great airflow.

Modular helmets

Modular helmets are essentially full-face helmets that come with a little more flexibility. They too have vents, a visor, chin bar, and is made from highly durable materials. They are different, however, because they were built for comfort and not for safety. A modular helmet comes with a movable visor that lets you open up the face of your helmet and do things like talk to people, eat and most importantly take in the fresh air. They are often thought of as hybrids between a full-face helmet and an open-face helmet.

The chin bar in addition to the visor can be moved by the rider whenever he/she needs to. This makes the helmet more practical for everyday use, and it makes it more stylish. Modular helmets come in all shapes and sizes, and they are highly customizable.

The differences between full-face helmets and modular helmets

Modular helmets have movable chin bars and visors

Modular helmets are more flexible and practical than regular full-face helmets

Modular helmets are also sometimes cheaper than regular helmets

Full-face helmets are rigid and tight

A full-face helmet is sometimes lighter because they have less moving parts

Full-face helmets are reliable in a terrible crash because they are so rigid

They do and they don’t. This might sound very confusing, but the answer is not as simple as we would like to think. Safety precautions for motorcycle crashes are a lot more complex than most people think. Even if you have everything from a great helmet to phenomenal boots, you might still not survive a crash. So, what does this mean for modular helmets and full-face helmets?

When motorcycle accidents occur, the part of the head that is mostly affected eight out of ten times is the neck. While most biker helmets protect every part of your head, they leave the base of the neck exposed. When you think about this in relation to modular and full-face helmets, you’ll notice that it doesn’t make that much of a difference.

What does make a difference, is the protection you get in the visor and chin bar area. Even though the front of the face is not in any real danger most of the time, it will still be nice to have a steady chin bar. Movable chin bars tend to be the first thing to go in a gruesome motorcycle accident. This means that modular helmets are technically less safe for you.

So, if you are a thrill-seeker, and you don’t care about the movable part, you’ll be happy to know that modular helmets come with more flexibility. With the removable chin bar, you can do things like unlocking your phone, eat, smoke, take a breather, and a ton of other fun stuff.

The Verdict

In the end, it's all entirely up to your personal style. However, most safety experts would recommend having a full-face helmet over a modular helmet. But as we've seen, safety is a complex issue that depends on several other factors. We can’t really say one type of helmet is better than the other per se. It just depends on you and what you are comfortable with and the level of convenience that you'd like.

Overall we highly recommend going for safety and protection over fashion, in which case a full-face motorcycle helmet is superior.